by William Penn

Created on: April 17, 2008

With every spring, there is renewal: The days are noticeably longer and warmer, flowers begin to bloom, the birds return from their southern climes, the IRS collects it's taxes, and the NFL Draft begins again! This year is no exception and just like the April 15th deadline, the first rounders loom to strike at the latest windfall of opportunity that the draft produces. To anyone who has a Top 5 pick, the IRS metaphor is certainly appropriate: A huge amount of money is spent on "stock" and "future dividends" that may produce absolutely no results for the team that picks them.

The amazing thing about it is that teams are willing to mortgage about $30 million for the rights to negotiate for the services of only one player who has not proved that he even has the ability to play at the professional level of his sport. To put this into perspective, the Miami Dolphins, who have the first pick in this year's draft, will have to pay about $30 million in guaranteed money for one player, while the entire rest to of the team only made $92.5 million last year. This means that the overall number one pick is worth the cost of one third of the entire team's salary for one season. This is hard to believe even if the player is of Pro Bowl caliber.

Every year, the risk/reward system becomes worse for a team with a Top 15 pick. Granted, that the money will get paid over the life of the contract, but what if the player never lives up to the potential that was expected of him when he signed the contract? It is also understood that contracts are negotiated with incentive clauses in mind, as well. However, many of those incentives are earned quite easily without playing very often. The most notable of these is the roster bonus: All a player has to do to obtain this extra money is to still be on the team in the year in question and be able to pass a physical exam.

With each new draft class expecting more money than those who were picked last year at their slot, it will inevitably have to stop. The NFL salary cap cannot increase forever and certainly not at the mind numbing numbers that are being discussed at even this time. Is it any wonder that small market teams have a difficult time competing in such a market? Teams cannot afford to routinely make such picks year after year. The fortunate thing is that the numbers become far more reasonable after the top half of the first round, which is why many teams would prefer to trade a talent for a second round draft pick or late first rounder.

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